If you are a regular around here then you know we discuss the Cuban Sandwich a bit. They are very popular. When they are made properly they are delicious. Most of you know that I am partially of Cuban descent so I enjoy digging up some of the best we have in the area. When I get tips on trying one, more times than not I am going in search of it.
It has happened again. This one is delicious.
Isis Nuñez’s story is fairly fascinating. She grew up in Miami but left when she was 19. She found herself in the Army. When that wrapped up she gave Chicago a shot.
“I lasted 8 months.” she says
Parris Island had a job opening for a police officer. She took it. Did that for 3 years. That’s what brought her to Port Royal, South Carolina.
“I loved it here.”
Not all that long ago, she had eyes for a tiny shack in Port Royal. A popular bait shop that she thought had a lot more potential than it was realizing. You see, Isis is a passionate fisherwoman. She liked the place, but she thought she could do it better.
She wound up buying the place and has been slowly but surely making it her own. The main thing she’s done differently is offer food on Fridays and Saturdays.
“I knew I wanted to do food.” Not only has she added food, but she has developed a pretty solid following. Most Fridays and Saturdays she doing breakfast burritos and tacos. The kind of hand held things that work well on a boat. One Friday a month, she’s making Cuban sandwiches and they are fantastic.
As soon as I walked in to Sea Sea’s Honey Hole back on February 24th, I knew she had a chance. The bait shop smelled amazing. When does anyone ever say that? But it did. I knew pork had been slow roasted. Homemade. I could not wait to try this sandwich.
You order at a window and it is eventually brought out to you wrapped in tin foil. Inside the kitchen, Isis and her 3 or 4 helpers had an assembly line going. Bread was everywhere. There was mustard (no mayo anywhere) and other ingredients to make these Cubans. They were done right.
One bite and I was hooked. I told my friend “These taste a lot like the ones I make at home.” The reason for that was simple. The bread. You don’t find legit Cuban bread around here only decent attempts at Publix. It’s good, but not great. Isis knows this too.
“We talked about bringing in other bread, but it was just too pricey”. she said. She’s right. That would only complicate matters. This bread works fine. As long as the rest of the ingredients are solid. And they are. This is a wonderful Cuban. It has developed a following of it’s own. Last month Isis had to post social media ahead of her Cuban Sandwich Day asking her customers to be patient when they came in for a Cuban.
This write up will make that request a little more pressing. The word has been out in Port Royal for a minute, but I would suspect a lot more of you are going to pay her a visit if you have the time.
She notified me this weekend that her next Cuban sandwich day will be Friday, March 22nd. Smoke ’em if you got ’em.
Does she plan on doing this more than once a month? My guess is probably not. She admits it is a ton of work. Between the pork and the labor to make them to order, it is a lot. The good ones usually do involve a lot of labor.
So, if you happen to be in the area or you live in the Beaufort, Sun City, Okatie corridor you may want to check this out. The best way-the only way really-to keep tabs on her next Cuban sandwich Friday will be Facebook. You will Eat It and Like It
Sea Sea's Honey Hole 901 8th Street Port Royal, SC 29935
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